Month: April 2014

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Mamiya 7ii

by bijansabet

I recently added a Mamiya 7ii to my camera collection. It’s a medium format system. The sensor size increase over 35mm/full frame is astounding.

There are a few reasons why I wasn’t sure about this camera. The lenses are slow compared to my Leica M glass. It’s much bigger than my Leica M. The shutter makes almost toy like click when pressed and way too sensitive. And it only takes 10 exposures per roll of film.

But none of those things end up mattering that much (to me). The Mamiya 7ii is a joy to use and feels great in your hands. It is portable enough and I can carry it with ease. It is a rangefinder system which has become second nature to me. And there is something so magical about film that is hard for me to put into words.

I will likely still mostly make digital photographs, if nothing but the ease and the instant feedback to determine if I made my exposure correctly.

But there are times when I just want to shoot film and on those days I will happily pick up this Mamiya 7ii.

(The above photographs were taken on a Mamiya 7ii + Kodak Portra 400 film along a recent photo walk with my friend Aaron Durand in Lands End, San Francisco. Processed and scanned at Light Waves Imaging in San Francisco)

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First marathon

by bijansabet

Many many thanks to my family and friends that came out to support my first marathon.

Also the supporters and volunteers were all incredible throughout the day — from the music & cheers in Hopkinton to the mighty roars in Boston. I had planned on listening to music on my iPhone for the entire run but a few minutes in I pulled my headphones off for good so I could be fully present. I’m so glad I did.

Also a huge shout out to all the folks that made a donation to Camp Interactive. I’m very grateful and you made a big difference.

I’m not sure if/when my second marathon will be — but the 2014 Boston Marathon will be one I will remember for a long time.

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Crowdrise

by bijansabet

Last year at the Jelly office in San Francisco, Biz Stone (Twitter cofounder and now the cofounder and CEO of Jelly*) read aloud a draft version of the blog post that would launch v1 of Jelly.

One line in particular hit me:

“It’s not that hard to imagine that the promise of a connected society is people helping each other”

Those are some powerful words and if you have ever known Biz or heard him speak you know that they come from the heart. 

The idea of a connected society helping each other is inspiring.  From people helping each other on Jelly or communities organizing via Twitter as well as things like peer produced contributions on Wikipedia. We are better when we work together. 

I’m also moved by crowdfunding platforms where we can help each other. In my opinion Crowdrise has emerged as the best crowdfunding platform for philanthropy. It’s a wonderful product and community where we see people helping each other every single day.

I initially met the Crowdrise team through my friend Fred Wilson. He told me he was putting together a new investment round in the company and asked if I was interested in learning more. My partners and I were blown away with the founders vision for creating a platform that allows each of us to give and help others. And you get a real sense of that mission with every single person on the team. 

Today I’m delighted to announce that our firm, Spark Capital has joined in this new round of financing for Crowdrise. I am proud that we are investors in this special company and look forward to working side by side with the team. 

One more thing :) 

You can find my Crowdrise profile here as I’ve been raising money for Camp Interactive and the Boston marathon which I’m running today. Please consider making a donation! 

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Robert Wolfe, Crowdrise co-founder and CEO — Detroit, Michigan.

(*disclosure: my firm is also an investor in Twitter and Jelly)